Designing an In-House Competition

As an in-house designer or as the manager of an in-house team, you face a unique set of challenges. Not only do you have to meet the objectives and goals of your larger company, but you also have to define your internal team’s goals, set realistic deadlines and refine workflow. Oh, and did we mention continue to produce top designs and solutions for the same client, sometimes with limited resources and budgets? No biggie.

Despite all of these challenges, you also have a lot of successes: Who else can produce wow-worthy work on a continual basis? Who else can continue to keep the client happy—and work in the same building? That is, being an in-house designer, and doing it well, is something to be proud of.

Still from “SVA is…” series

And that’s why we get excited for the annual HOW In-House Design Awards. It’s the competition that highlights not only the best work produced by in-house designers and teams, but it also celebrates you and your unique abilities.

From education and health care to B2B work, this competition is all about you. Within the different categories, your projects are only judged against other projects in that category. For example, non-profit project will only be judged against other non-profit work; your consumer designs will only be judged against other consumer designs. And, it’s the competition exclusively for in-house designers and teams — you’re only competing against other in-house folks. It’s a level playing field, allowing you to really shine at what you do best: designing effective solutions for your company.

Last year’s BOS winner, for example, was produced by the Visual Arts Press, Ltd. team at School of Visual Arts in New York City. This team produced “SVA is…”, a video series that focuses on various topics related to the school to highlight the things that set SVA apart from other schools. Aimed primarily at potential students, all the videos were created by SVA students, alumni or faculty.

In the video below, James Victore asks potential students to view themselves as a gift, hitting home the message that SVA is the place for future art and design students to attend—and a solid example of the type of teaching available at the school.

This team harnessed their internal know-how and resources to produce a showstopping collection. As a result, the project elevated their in-house team and SVA’s visibility to potential students and the public, alike. We’re still talking about the videos a year later.

This in-house team not only showed what their school could do for potential students through the talents of their alumni and faculty, but they also put their names into the hands of other creatives by entering and winning the In-House Design Awards. And their Best in Show project highlights their team’s value and ability to raise awareness of their school—all in a clever, visually appealing way that also meet the school’s objectives. Don’t you do this everyday?

So, why haven’t you entered your work in the In-House Design Awards? You’re creating top-notch work for your company. Enter today to get noticed for your stellar work—and show us how in-house designers do it. Oh, and enter by May 1 to save some money with the early-bird discount.